Air delivery systems, such as used in commercial applications, typically are systems that can be used to cool or to accomplish dehumidification when ambient conditions are such that there is no demand for cooling. This demand for dehumidification can often occur on days when the temperature is cool and there is a high humidity level, such as damp, rainy spring and fall days. Under such conditions, it may be necessary to switch the operation of the air delivery system from cooling mode to dehumidification mode.
When switching an air delivery system, such as are used in commercial applications, from the cooling mode to the dehumidification mode in a reheat system that includes a reheat coil and a condenser coil configured in a parallel arrangement, some refrigerant will become trapped in the condenser coil. As the outdoor temperature falls, the amount of refrigerant that becomes trapped in the condenser coil will increase, resulting in a drop in the quantity of refrigeration available in the remainder of the refrigerant system to accomplish dehumidification. Without adequate refrigerant in the dehumidification circuit, operational problems will occur with the air delivery system. Some refrigerant can become trapped in a system that includes a reheat circuit even on warm days when dehumidification is required, but cooling is not required. The refrigerant can become trapped in the condenser coil, and if switching is required to the cooling mode, additional refrigerant can be trapped in the reheat circuit.
One of the problems is decreased system capacity as the refrigerant normally available in a properly operating system is trapped in the condenser coil and not available to the compressor. Associated with this problem is inadequate suction pressure at the compressor, since the gas refrigerant that normally is available to the compressor from the evaporator is trapped as a liquid in the condenser.
What is needed is an air delivery system that can remove refrigerant trapped as a liquid in the condenser, which is exacerbated in cooler, damp weather, and make the refrigerant readily available to the compressor, thereby restoring the capacity, efficiency and stability of the system and allow for the system to operate in the dehumidification mode regardless of the outdoor ambient temperature.